Corpus Christi, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Sec. 37-11 requires that all pawnshops or secondhand stores operating within the city limits be registered by the Corpus Christi Police Department, with the chief of police establishing the specific regulations governing registration, application, suspension, or revocation of that registration. This licensing duty sits alongside a separate, tougher track for non-storefront operators: Sec. 37-6 requires any itinerant dealer (someone who pawnbrokers or deals secondhand from a vehicle, vacant lot, or a rented room rather than a fixed shop) to register with the police division before operating any phase of the business.

That registration is capped at 30 days and must be displayed prominently at the place of operation. Sec. 00 fee to cover the cost of administering the itinerant registration, and Sec. 00 bond with the chief of police, approved by the city attorney and payable to the city and to any person harmed by a violation, before a registration certificate issues. Once registered, Sec. , Monday through Sunday. Sec. 37-9 exempts bona fide trade shows, conventions held within their own venue, and licensed auction houses from the chapter's registration and operating requirements.

The chapter's definitions in Sec. 37-1 sweep in gem and metal dealers and flea markets/mercados/open-air markets as secondhand dealers, meaning the registration duty reaches beyond traditional pawnshops.